Loading-machine for box-cars.



J. GURNEY. LOADING MACHINE FOR Box ems. APPLICATION lILBD D260. 30, 1908.

Patehted Dec. 14,1909. a sums-sum 1.

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A. J. GURNEY. LOADING MACHINE FQR BOX CARS.

. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1908. 943,225.

Patentd Dec. 14, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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APPLICATION FILED DBO. 30, 1908. I

' Patented Dec. 14, 1909 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT J. GURNEY, F S UNNYSIDE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OE ONE-THIRD T0 THEODORE G. WARDEN, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND ONE-THIRD TO JOHN ROLLO, OF MURPHYS- 3030, ILLINOIS.

LOADING-MAGHIN E FOR BOX-CARS.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Application filed December 80, 1908. Serial No. 469,965.

same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this I specification.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a machine for automatically loading coal orthe like into box cars or other compartments .in a manner which is expeditious and economical and which avoids damage to the coal.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is'characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its object andadvantages, reference may be had to. the follownig detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawin s, wherein:

Figure l is a view showing in crosssection a box car and in side elevation a machine embodying my invention arranged in osition to load the car; Fig. 2 is a view 0 the machine looking at right angles to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine; Fig. 4 is a plan View of a fragment of the trough and conveyer, ilustrating a different condition from that shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side view, showing on an enlarged scale the adjacent ends of the two trough members and the bridging section therefor occupying a position which will permit said members to swing relatively to each other; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the adjacent ends of the trough membersand the bridging section; Fig.7 is a transverse section through the trough near thebridgmg section, looking toward the right in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 8 is a detail illustratinga preferred arrangement for supporting the outer ends of the movable track; Fig. 9 shows the ratchet device for moving the carriage,and Fig. 10 is an end view of the track structure of the machine. I y

In the-drawings I have illustrated my invention. in a form adapted particularly to load box cars, but it will, of course, be understood that my invention is applicable to the fillin of any compartment.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a box car having side door openings a B is a platform arranged adjacent to a pair of car tracks B upon which the car is ad%pted to stand while being filled.

2 form adapted to be supported in any suitable way for receiving coal or the like and delivering it into the car through one of the side doors.

In accordance with my invention I mount upon the'platform a setof stationary tracks C arranged at right angles to the car tracks and a set of movable auxiliary tracks C The latter tracks are preferably mounted upon rollers 0 so as to be parallel with the stationary tracks and free to be shifted into and out of a car through the door thereof. As shown most clearly in Fig. 10., the tracks C may be composed of ordinary T -rails, while the tracks C may be L-shaped, the parts being so constructed 'and arranged that the tread-surfaces of the tracks C are slightly lower than those of the other set. The stationary track members are preferably arranged on one side of the movable track members so that a carriage having wide wheels may run .upon either set of tracks and, when resting upon the stationary tracks, leave the movable tracks free to be shifted.

, D is a carriage arranged to run upon the tracks C and C E is a turntable mounted upon the car- 7 riage so as to be free to revolve about a vertical axis. 'Pivotally supported at f'upon upright standards (3 carried by the turntable is a trough F. The trough is preferably supported at one end thereof and is of such a length that it will reachfrom the center of the ordinary box car into proximity to either end thereof. The pivotal axis of the trough is horizontal so that the trough may be oscillated from the position wherein its outer end is adjacent to the floor of. the car to a position wherein the outer end is at a level higher than that to which the car is to be filled. Any suitable means may be employed for oscillating the trough and holding it in its different adjusted positions. Thus a rod G maybe pivotally connected at one end of the trough and pass through a The end of the bushing e on the turntable. rod which passes through the bushlng 15 is a chute of any usual or preferred threaded portion that the hand wheel abuts screw-threaded as at g and u on this screwis arrange a hand wheel G the interior of which constitutes a nut.

Normally the trough assumes a position suchv aga nst the bushing on the turntable, so that by turning the wheel in one direction or varied. Within the trou h is a'conveyer preferably in the form of a screw which extends from one end to-theother of the trough and is connected at the end adjacent to'the turntable with amotor I of any suitable type forvactuating it. In the particular arrangement shown the connection between the screw and motor is through a pair of gears iand '5 The screw preferably has a bearing H at the outer end of the trou h, a second bearing H at the inner end of the trough and a third bearing -I-I beyond the inner end of the trough. The

bearing H is preferably arranged a short distance beyond the end of the trough so as to leave the outlet end of the trough unobstructed.

The carriage with its turntable and I trough, when out of use, are supported upon v the auxiliary through one the stationary track 0 at the sideof the car tracks. When it is desired to, load a car track is extended into the car door' thereof and the carriage is run into the'car upon this track. Since box cars are usually narrow in comparison with their lengths it would be impossible to introduce the carriage and a trough of sufiicien't length into the car if the trough were made rigid; for in such case the trough would pro'ect through the door on the oppositeside o the car from that through which it originally entered before the carriage was sufficiently far in the car to permit the'turntable to be rotated so as to direct the trouh into the end of the car. I therefore pre er to make the trough distensible or flexible so that it may be placedin an abnormal condition while being entered into the car and then returned to its operative condition so as to ermit it to operate satisfactorily; I have ound that this end may conveniently be effected by making a joint in .the trough between its ends so as to permit thetwo halves of the trough to be brought at an angle to each other and thereby permit the outer end of the trough to be carried laterally toward the end of the car befor'eit begins to project through the dooron the opposite side from that through which it lentered. The trough is divided into two parts, F and F they being fastened together by means of a pair of hingesK and K which have pivotal axes in vertical alinement. The

shaft h of the conveyer is provided with a knuckle joint h in alinement with the hinges of the trough. Therefore, in whatthe other, the elevation of the outer end of the trough may prevent the parts located at some distance trough.

ever position the conveyer may stop, the two halves thereof may be turned at an angle to each other with the two halves of the trough. In entering the machine into the car the trough is allowed to project in advance and theouter end thereof is bent laterally with j the remainder so as to point, to a respect to ward the end of the car into which it is to 0. As the carriage approaches the car oor, the turntable is gradually turned and ried toward one end of the car.. carriage has been brought into the centerrof the car the trough is straightened and the loading operation may begin. In order to out of alinement while the conveyer is "in operation any-suitable-form of locking de; vice may be employed, as, for example, a'-

Zwhich is adapted ftoigthe gap between the adjacent ends of the two members. Care must be taken that the interior of the trough is free from shoulders or projections since'otherwise the coal, in its passage through the trough, would-lb: ground between such coal more or less. To prevent any irregularity'in the cross-section of the trough adjacent to the meeting ends of the two halves,

I prefer so to construct the auxiliary section M that it will fit between the ends Ofl fh main sections and provide a smooth, eon-- tinuous surface upon the interior of the I prefer to make the auxiliary trough section .of sheet metal which will spring somewhat so that the auxiliary member, while of the same shape as the remainder of the trough, may be telescoped upon the end of one of the trough members when it is moved out of its gap-bridging position. Furthermore, I prefer to bevel the meeting edges'between the latter trough member andthe auxiliary section as at m in order that a downward and inward 'pressure upon the auxiliary section will cause it-to telescope automatically upon sald main member of the trough. The auxiliary sec- 120 tion may be supported in any suitable manner, preferably by means of a pair of links N which are pivotally connected with the up-' per edge of the trough member F 2 .75 therefore the outer endof the trough is car- Aften'the of the trough fromcoming I shoulders or projecions and the conveyer thereby damaging the at one of 7 their ends and to the side walls of the auxiliary section at their other ends, as at n and 90. respectively. The points of connection of the links N are preferably so selected that the links lie at an angle to the vertical meetindicated in Fig. 5. Pivotally connected to the side walls of the auxiliary section are a 'pair of arms 0 having thereon laterally projecting handles 0 which may be brought into engagement with the sides of the links N when the auxiliary section is in gapbridging position, thereby forming struts which prevent the auxiliary section fromoscillating about the pivotal connections a. Each of the members 0 is also preferably provided with an ear 0 which underlies the adjacent link when the parts are in the posit-ions indicated in Fig. 2 and prevents the side walls of the auxiliary section from springing outwardly. In addition a small lip f may projectfrom the trough member F beneath the auxiliary trough section and thereby support the auxiliary trough section in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the trough member F? and the auxiliary section may be provided with clips f and m respectively, each of which is secured to one member and is adapted-to overlie the other member when the auxiliary section is in gapbridging position. Similar clips m may be provided on the auxiliary section for overlying the end of the member F Assuming that the parts are in positions indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 and it is desired to turn theouter end of the trough laterally with respect to the inner endi the handles 0 are grasped and the members 0 are swung upwardly thereby so as to disengage them from the links N. Thehandles may then be pressed downwardly while the members 0 arein upright positions, causing the auxiliary section to be canted toward the left and its upper portion telescoped upon the end of the member F Further pressure will move the auxiliary section bodily, downwardly and inwardly, so as to release it from the lip f Thereafter, continued pressure upon the handles will move the auxiliary section into the position indicated in Fig. 5. The locking lever L is then lifted so as to unlock the hinge Kand the outer end of the trough may be swung laterally, carrying with it, of course, the outer end of the conveyer. When the trough has been properly adjusted in the car and the two members thereof brought into alinement with each other, the gap between the two members of the trough may be closed by pulling upwardly on the handles 0 and, in effect, reversing the operation which took place in uncovering the gap.

. understood.

The utility of the double hearing at the inner end of the trough will now be apparent for it is evident that unless a secure bearing were provided for one of the conveyer members, the knuckle joint would permit the conveyer to sag and rest upon the bottom of the. trough at the middle thereof; and it is, of course, desirable to maintain a clearance between the conveyer and the sides of the trough at all times.

The operation of the machine will now be the machine is adjusted in the manner described so as to bring the trou h into one end of. the car. The outer end of the trough is lowered by means of the hand wheel or other adjusting means which may be provided so as to bring it near the floor of the car and thereby permit the coal to be gently deposited .in the car when the loading operation begins. The coal may be led into the inner end of the trough by\means of a suitable chute P, the lower end of which extends into proximity with a hopper F at the inner end of the trou h. The parts being in the posit-ions indicate in Figs. 2 and 3, the motor is set in When it is desired to fill a car operation so as toactuate the conveyer and the coal is allowed to flow through the chute and into the hopper; The rotating conveyer gently moves the coal toward the outer end of the trough and deposits it upon the floor of the car. As the height of the pile of coal within the car increases the outer end of the at the end, the auxiliary trough section may be swung into the position indicated in Fig. 5 andthe coal will then be fed into the car through the gap between the ends of the trough sothat the car may be filled almost to the middle. After the loading upon one side of the doors has been completed, the machine is wheeled out of the car and is again introduced with the trough-projecting toward the opposite end, however. This latter end of the car is now filled in the manner previously described and the machine is then again withdrawn and the movable auxiliary track retracted, leaving the center of the car clear.

This portion of the car may then be filled directly from the supply chute.

Since the height of the floors of cars above the car tracks varies, it is necessary to pro-. vide some adjustable supporting means for the outer end of the auxil ary track section which will permit it to be firmly supported upon the floor of. any car. To this end I have hinged to the auxiliary track C a pair of legs 0 to which are pivotallv connected a pair of arms having in one edge a series of notches 0. Each of the rails of the auxiliary track is provided with a pin direction.

7" on the axle R are in effect traction wheels.

which is adapted 'to rest any one of the notches in the adjacent arm. It will be seen that the outer end of the track is supported 'upon the legs 0 whose effective helght is loosely mounting upon one of the axles R a lever S having a double acting pawl s which cooperates with a toothed wheel T fixed to the axle. \Vhen the pawl. is inthe position indicated in Fig. 9 the axle may be turned in one direction, step by step, bymoving the lever back and forth. By shifting the pawl so as to bring it upon the opposite side ofthe center line of the lever, a similar movement of the lever may produce a step by step turning movement of the axle in the opposite In this arrangement the wheels It will now be' seenthat I have provided a simple and eflicient machine for conveniently and rapidly loading a box car or the like in such a manner that breakage of the coal is entirely eliminated.

While I have described in detail only a single preferred embodiment of my invention I do not desire to be limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts illustrated since, in its broader aspects, my invention may take various other forms, as will be evident from the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims. 1

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a loader, a carriage, a turntable on said carriage, atrough pivotally supported on said turntable so as to be capable of movements about an axis transverse to the axis of the turntable, an adjustable strut between said trough and said turntable for holding the trough in different positions, and a conveyer in said trough, said trough and said conveyer having alined joints for permitting a portion thereof (to be swung at an angle to the remainder.

2. In combination, a pair of separated main trough'members, a hinge connecting said members and permitting them to be brought into alinement with each other or arranged at an angle to each other, an auxiliary trough of the same cross section as the main members for closing the gap between said members.

3. In combination, a pair of separated trough members, a hinge connecting said members, and an auxiliary trough section of a size to bridge the gap between said members, and means for supporting said auxiliary section so as to permit it to swing from a gap-bridging position into a position Wl'llCh will permit said members to swing relative to each other,

4. In combination, a pair of separated trough members, .a-hinge connecting said members so as'to'permit them to alinewith each other or swing relative to each other in a plane transverse to the sides of the trough, and an, auxiliary trou h section movably mounted on one of said members so as to permit it to be brought into a position to bridge the gap between said members or into a position which leaves said members free to swing relatively to each other.

5. In combination, a pair of separated trough members, a hinge connecting said members, an auxiliary trough section for bridging the gap between said members, and links suspending said auxiliary section from one of said members so as to permit said sec tion to swingv from an operative position into an inoperative position.

6. In combination, a pair of separated trough members, an auxiliary trough section for bridglng the gap between said members, a link pivotally connected to one of said members and to said auxiliary section in position to permit said. section to swing downwardly and longitudinally of .said members to uncover said gap, and means for locking sa1d lmk to said section when said section is in gap-bridging position. 4 a

7. In combination, two separated memhers, a bridgingyoke having a part lying beneath one of said members-when the yoke occupies a gap-bridging position, a link having its ends pivoted to said yoke and to one of said members at such pointsthat the link assumes an inclined position when the yoke is bridging the gap between said members, and a dog on said yoke for engaging with said link and locking the yoke against said members when said yoke is in the gap.- bridging position.

8. In combination, two separated trough members, an auxiliary trough section for bridging the gap between said members, said section being of such a length and size as partially to overlap one of said members when in gap-bridging position, a link pivotally connected to said latter member and said section and lying at an angle when the auxiliary section is in the -gap-bridging position,'and a strut on said section for engaging with the side of said link when the auxiliary section is in the gap-bridging position and forming with the link and the auxiliary section a lock for holding said section in place. 1

9. In combination, a pair of separated trough members, an auxiliary trough section for bridging the gap between said members, said auxiliary section being of the same cross-section as said members, one end of said auxiliary section being arranged to abut at one end against the end of one member and the other end of said auxiliary section and the adjacent end of the second trough member being beveled so as to permit the auxiliary section to be sprung and telescoped upon the latter member by pressing it toward the latter membergrnd means for securing said auxiliary section in place.-

10. In a car loader, a carriage, a turntable on said carriage, a trough pivotally supported on said carriage so as to be capable of swinging in a vertical plane, said trough having a joint between its ends so as to permit one end'of the trough to be swung in a horizontal plane at an angle to the r mainder of the trough, a conveyer in said trough, said conveyer having a joint alining with the joint in the trough, and means for actuating said conveyer.

11. In a car loader, a carriage, a turntable on said carriage, uprights on said turntable, a frame pivotally connected between its ends ,carried by said frame on to said uprights, a motor carried by said frame on one side of said uprlghts, a trough j the other side of said uprights, said trough having a joint between its ends so as to permit one end of the trough to be swung in a horizontal plane at an angle to the remainder of said trough, a conveyer in said trough, said conveyer having a joint alining with the joint in the trough, and a driving connection between said c'onveyer and said motor.

12. In a car loader, a carriage, a turntable mounted on said carriage, uprights on said turntable, .a trough pivotally mounted on said uprights so as tobe capable of swinging in a vertical plane, said trough having a joint between its ends so as to permit one end of the trough to be swung in a horizontal plane at an angle to the remainder of the trough, a conveyer in said trough, said,

conveyer having a joint alining with the joint in the trough, means for actuating said conveyer, and an adjustable strut arranged between said trough and said turntable for holding the, trough in different angular. positions. a

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT J. GURNEY. \Vitnesses:

WVM. F. F RENDENREICH, HARRY S. GAITHER. 

